I never thought I’d have to reach out so blindly for advice, since for smaller cars I’m usually the one providing the advice. But since we bought a minivan a couple years ago, our current Michelins are approaching 30k miles and are almost down to the wear indicators.

So naturally I just go to Discount Tire Direct (or TireRack) and start looking around, figuring I’ll find the same tires I’ve found for years on our other cars. But most of them are completely different — and to make things even more complex, if you search for a 2015 Odyssey (17") and a 2015 Pilot (17"), you get different options, despite both vehicles having nearly identical load specs and requirements. It looks like the Pilot just arbitrarily gets more LT tires to choose from.

Should I stick with traditional midrange touring tires, like the Continental Contact series? Or cross-shop light truck tires? What’s the big difference in ride and handling, if any?